SAN JOSE -- There won't be a lot of new faces to integrate into the Sharks system when training camp begins Thursday.

But coach Todd McLellan and his staff still have their work cut out for them as they seek answers to a multitude of questions before what could be a pivotal season for the franchise, as key veterans Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle are all in the final year of lengthy contracts.

San Jose is yet again coming off a disappointing playoff run. But after the Game 7 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in the second round, players were more upbeat than usual. Focusing on their strong play down the stretch and during a first-round sweep of the Vancouver Canucks, they were looking ahead to 2013-14.

San Jose Sharks' Patrick Marleau (12), Joe Thornton (19) and Logan Couture (39) celebrate the 1-0 goal against Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick (32) in the first period in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif., on Sunday, May 26, 2013. (Josie Lepe/Bay Area News Group)

So what questions need to be addressed between now and the Oct. 3 start of the regular season? Here are four:

Will the Sharks be the faster, high-energy team they were in March and April? Or will they revert to a more bogged-down style of play?

"We had more tempo and energy in our game," McLellan said this summer. "We've created a foundation with that, but there's no guarantee it's there when we return. The players have to buy into that."

The Sharks' one offseason acquisition, former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Tyler Kennedy, would seem to be consistent with those moves. Said McLellan: "He plays with some passion. He fits our identity well, how we want to play."

Who plays where on the forward lines?

McLellan likes to keep pairs together, then shuffle a third forward onto a line if it gets stale. To that end, he's got Logan Couture with Marleau and Thornton with Burns.

Then what? The Sharks coach has said he doesn't expect Marty Havlat to be fully recovered from pelvic surgery. That leaves Kennedy, Torres, Joe Pavelski and rookie Tomas Hertl competing for two spots on the top two lines. Yes, Pavelski has been more valuable as a third-line center, but Kennedy could fill that role, too.

Tommy Wingels and the two players who don't land a top-six role are likely to form the third line, while Adam Burish, Andrew Desjardins and James Sheppard appear to be penciled in on the fourth.

Is Hertl ready to make the jump from the Czech Republic at 19?

San Jose's front office remains high on its 2012 first-round pick and has suggested he's ready for NHL action. But McLellan isn't ready to hand him a roster spot.

"Is he ready to play at the NHL level? He'll answer that question over the next few weeks, not me today," the coach said. "We'll have to wait and see, like everybody else."

Hertl had 18 goals and 30 points in 43 games in the top Czech league. If he doesn't pan out, look for another rookie, perhaps Matt Nieto, to crack the roster.

Who gets the nod as backup goalie?

The Sharks bid Thomas Greiss farewell because they thought it was time for one of their younger netminders to move into the No. 2 position behind Antti Niemi.